One of the fastest growing areas of communications technology is related to automobile network solutions. The demand and potential for wireless vehicle communication, networking and diagnostic services have recently increased. Although many vehicles on the road today have limited wireless communication functions, such as unlocking a door and setting or disabling a car alarm, new vehicles offer additional wireless communication systems that help personalize comfort settings, run maintenance and diagnostic functions, place telephone calls, access call-center information, update controller systems, determine vehicle location, assist in tracking vehicle after a theft of the vehicle and provide other vehicle-related services.
A telematics unit installed in a vehicle facilitates communications to and from the vehicle. Drivers can call telematics call centers and receive navigational, concierge, emergency, and location services, as well as other specialized help such as locating the geographical position of a stolen vehicle and honking the horn of a vehicle when the vehicle cannot be located in a large parking garage. Vehicle information is uploaded to a call center through the telematics unit. Telematics service providers can offer enhanced telematics services by supplying a subscriber with a digital handset. The telematics unit must be configured to activate and personalize these various services.
A vehicle is sold with a factory-installed telematics unit. Once the vehicle leaves a dealership the subscriber is enrolled in the telematics system database and the system is activated. The dealer calls a telematics call center using the telematics system to provide data regarding the subscriber to a communication service advisor at the telematics call center. This data is used to personalize the telematics services. The dealer must also provide details as to the telematics services desired by the subscriber to the communication service advisor in a time consuming interaction.
Alternately the telematics service is personalized after leaving the dealership. The subscriber calls the telematics call center using the telematics system to provide data to a communication service advisor at the telematics call center. The subscriber must inform the communication service advisor which telematics services they want in their subscription package during a time consuming interaction with the communication service advisor.
Information needed to personalize the personal calling feature of the telematics unit is obtained from a third party wireless provider. This information is not always available when a dealer or subscriber calls the call center to personalize the telematics service. If the information is not available, the dealer or subscriber must call the call center at a later time or the call center must make an outbound attempt to personalize the telematics unit.
It is desirable therefore, to provide a method and system for automated unit service requests from a telematics unit, that overcomes the challenges and obstacles described above.